News broke Wednesday that Kyle Parker was designated for assignment in order to make room for Gerardo Parra on the 40-man roster. Parker was the club’s first-round pick in 2010 but he never developed into the big-league hitter the Rockies envisioned.

The Rockies decision to cut loose Parker got me thinking about their track record with their first-round draft choices.

It’s not good. Yes, the Rockies have struck gold in the later rounds — think Nolan Arenado (2009, second round), Charlie Blackmon (2008, second round) and Corey Dickerson (2010, eighth round). But there have been far too many busts and too much wasted money.

Bryan Kilpatrick of Purple Row notes the Rockies rank poorly when compared to the rest of the teams in the NL West and their production from first-round picks.

I understand that the MLB draft is a much different animal than the NFL draft. Yet for the Rockies, a team with a losing history and plenty of early first-round picks, draft busts are a very big deal. Here is a snapshot of their top picks since 2005:

UPDATE: Wilin Rosario on Tuesday chose to become a free agent, instead of accept a minor-league assignment after the Rockies outrighted him to the minor-leagues Monday night. He most likely will not return to the Rockies next season.

Wilin Rosario returned to his natural perch behind home plate last month. He’s in a catcher platoon for Águilas Cibaeñas in the Dominican Winter League, hitting a robust .338/.402/.459 in 74 at-bats.

Stubbs, 30, played in two seasons for the Rockies and hit .216 with a .717 slugging percentage this season. The Rockies designated him for assignment in part to make room for prospects Kyle Parker and Matt McBride.

I heard that word repeated over and over in the Rockies’ clubhouse before Friday night’s game against the Nationals.

Earlier in the day, a number of Rockies, including manager Walt Weiss, pitching coaches Steve Foster and Darren Holmes, as well as number of players, visited wounded veterans at Walter Reed Military Medical Center.

“It was eye-opening,” said rookie Kyle Parker. “Growing up, I knew a lot of guys who went to Iraq. Luckily, none of them were injured. But what I saw today put things in perspective. The things they have done for us is amazing. You realized how blessed we are.”

Walter Reed is the largest military medical center in the United States, serving wounded soldiers from all branches of the military. There are soldiers there who are missing arms and legs — trying to figure out how to move forward in life with prosthetic limbs.

The Colorado Rockies’ Kyle Parker watches his RBI double against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 in Los Angeles. (Alex Gallardo, The Associated Press)

“I feel like my game still needs to improve, but I keep getting better. I have been playing a lot more first and I feel a lot more comfortable there,” said Parker, who played 18 games for the Rockies last season, but got limited at-bats and limited results. He hit .192 (5-for-26) with one run, one double and one RBI.

Promoting Parker was just one of the moves the Rockies made Saturday. Right-handed starter Kyle Kendrick was placed on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of his injury.

Neither did much in their three innings on the field. Tulo went 0-for-2 and CarGo 0-for-1 with a walk, but just being back on the field mattered a bunch. The Rockies, for the record finished in a 2-2 tie with the Cincinnati Reds, leaving the Rockies with a 2-3-1 spring record.

Rockies teammates Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki were back on the field together again on Monday at Salt River Fields. (Doug Pensinger, Getty Images)

“It was nice to put back on the uniform and get back into the game mode,” Tulowitzki said. “I think I turn into a different person at game time. This felt different than a usual spring game.”

Gonzalez said: “I felt really good. I was a little anxious at first, but I kind of let it go after that. The most important thing was that I was pain free.”

Colorado Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau is leading the race for the NL batting title entering the final two games of the season. (The Associated Press)

LOS ANGELES — Justin Morneau’s slim lead in the National League batting title is safe for now, which is a big part of the reason why the Rockies’ first baseman is not in the starting lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Dodgers.

Asked if he would consider sitting Morneau in Sunday’s season finale should Morneau enter that game with a lead, manager Walt Weiss answered: “We’ll see where he stands at that point. … He has worked very hard to put himself in this position.

“I mean, people talk about backing into a batting title and all of that stuff. I don’t think there is such a thing. It takes six months to win it. How do you back into something that takes six months to win? But he’s had a great, great year. It would be the icing on the cake.”

Christian Friedrich has made an encouraging recovery from a serious back injury. He was optioned to the minors as the Rockies feel he needs to log more innings after missing almost all of last season. (Associated Press file)

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Christian Friedrich couldn’t hide his excitement about returning to the mound this spring after an 11-month layoff. He showed flashes of talent, but revealed plenty of rust. He was optioned to the minor leagues on Thursday, leading a parade of players that included another first-round pick Tyler Matzek.

Friedrich posted a 7.36 ERA in two games. He needs to log innings as he recovers from a serious back injury. Matzek was in the running for a bullpen spot until he walked four consecutive hitters on Wednesday. Manager Walt Weiss cautioned that the outing shouldn’t define Matzek’s camp because “he has come a long way.”

SURPRISE, ARIZ. — Corey Dickerson hasn’t spent as much time in the batting cage. With center field his route to the roster, he’s been working extra on his defense each day. You’d never know he neglected his hitting on Sunday.

The left-handed hitting outfielder smashed a home run to right field off Danny Duffy and Kyle Parker drove in five runs, part of the Rockies’ 12-hit barrage in a 10-1 victory over the Royals.

Dickerson is competing with Charlie Blackmon and Drew Stubbs for the center field job. The 24-year-old has always hit in the minors. He added 15 pounds this offseason, and it has translated into positive results. He is batting .381 with four extra-base hits in 21 at-bats.

For the first time, manager Walt Weiss asked for a replay challenge. It is limited in scope this spring because few games are televised, and even those offer limited two-to-three camera angles compared to the 12 that will be available during the regular season.

Weiss asked for the review to determine whether Rockies shortstop Rosell Herrera tagged a stealing Logan Schafer in the sixth inning. The delay lasted 1-minute, 50 seconds, and the ruling of safe was upheld.

“A couple of close calls early I thought the umpires got right. On that one there, it was tough to tell. I thought it was worth a shot,” Weiss said. “I thought it was done very well. It was efficient.”

The Rockies drafted left-hander Tyler Matzek straight out of high school in 2009. (Denver Post file)

Tyler Matzek’s baseball road has been mighty bumpy, but the Rockies are still hopeful that he’ll eventually produce as a big-league pitcher.

That’s why the left-handed prospect was one of seven minor-league players added to the Rockies’ 40-man roster on Monday. Had the Rockies not done so, Matzek would have been exposed in the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 12 at the end of the winter meetings.

The other players added to the 40-man roster are: left-handed pitchers Jayson Aquino and Kraig Sitton; right-handed pitcher Raul Fernandez, infielder Rosell Herrera and outfielders Kent Matthes and Kyle Parker. The Rockies now have 39 players on the 40-man roster.

I think I’m ripping off former CBS News anchor Dan Rather by using that analogy, but what the heck.

Rosario, the Rockies’ 24-year-old catcher is proving that his rookie season was no fluke. Rosario hit .270 with 28 homers and 71 RBIs last season. Entering Saturday night’s game against the Reds, he’s batting .294 with 20 homers and 72 RBIs.

He’s sizzled in August. After going 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored Friday night, Rosario hiked his monthly average to .356 (32-for-90). He’s cranked out five doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs. His .933 OPS (.356 on-base percentage, plus .578 slugging percentage) is excellent. His 20 RBIs in August are a career high for a single month.

After riding out some tough stretches early this season, Rosario is back in a groove.

There was perhaps a little anxiousness, and a desire to impress. That’s what happens after missing the final four months and playing for a new manager. All Juan Nicasio showed in his first outing, a Rockies’ loss, is that his left knee is healthy. But he was rusty, lacking secondary pitches to help escape jams when his fastball became elevated.

Reality has intervened, bringing sobering perspective in the Rockies’ minor leagues the last few days. Triple-A Colorado Springs postponed Tuesday’s game because of the Waldo Canyon Fire that has raged near Air Force Academy south of Denver, causing evacuations and fear.

DJ LeMahieu was one of the Sky Sox players who posted pictures on Twitter of just how frightening and close the fire was yesterday afternoon.

There was sadness and concern in Class-A ball as well. Former Rockies minor league pitcher Paul Bargas, who was drafted in the 13th round of the 2009 draft out of UC-Riverside, passed away last night after a battle with brain cancer. He was 23 years old. Here’s a story from Tri City remembering Bargas.

HOUSTON — It’s the cruel, if not ironic nature of sports. Kyle Parker played quarterback for Clemson, chased by 280-pound defenders and never missed significant time. Yet, he landed on the minor-league disabled list this weekend after getting struck in the hand by a pitch Saturday night playing for Class-A Modesto Nuts.

Kyle Parker is a football player. Loves being the quarterback at Clemson. That was established when he began camp with the Tigers, anxious to improve on last season on the gridiron. Will he be a professional baseball player? The Rockies continue to talk with the quarterback/outfielder. Word out of Clemson is that the talks are going down to the wire with the first-round pick. The Rockies must sign him before 10 p.m. Mountain time or they lose his rights. They would receive a compensatory pick in the first round next season.

This is going to get interesting. Parker already turned down roughly $2.2 million earlier this summer — well above slot money — leaving the sides currently with a big gap to bridge. But if he turns the Rockies down and returns for his senior season of college baseball he loses leverage. The Rockies will want some protection on their signing bonus now that Parker is playing football. They have discussed installment plans that could be voided if he Parker suffers a football injury.

According to Baseball America, the Rockies have signed Peter Tago, the 47th pick in the recent draft, for $982,500.
EY Jr. staying with team

Eric Young Jr. tweeted today that he’s packing for Los Angeles. That means, barring something unforeseen, he’s heading on the road trip. The Rockies will have to make a move to activate starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin. Jason Giambi has played sparingly over the last week.

And Brad Hawpe, whom Fox Sports has reported was placed on waivers today, has a pre-existing rib injury. Hawpe drew interest from the White Sox and Tigers before the trading deadline.

Again, somebody is going out and it’s does not appear to be EY Jr., whom the Rockies want to see in the leadoff spot. The Rockies need a spark on the road offensively.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.